Manitoba NDP politician Wab Kinew in the running for U.S. book award

A Manitoba politician's book is in contention for an American literary prize.

Wab Kinew's The Reason You Walk is a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.

The book is about Kinew's efforts to reconnect with his father after he was given a diagnosis of terminal cancer.

• Wab Kinew reveals joy and pain of reconciliation in The Reason You Walk

"Invoking hope, healing and forgiveness, The Reason You Walkis a poignant story of a towering but damaged father and his son as they embark on a journey to repair their family bond," Dayton's website said about the book.

Kinew was elected to the Manitoba legislature as a New Democrat in this year's provincial election.

His book is one of six nominated in the non-fiction category.